Witness for the Prosecution - 1957

<p>A dying-but-defiant barrister takes on one last case: an amiable inventor accused of murdering the wealthy widow who adored him, with only his cool, unreadable wife standing as his alibi. Billy Wilder&#39;s courtroom thriller twists and twists again on its way to one of classic Hollywood&#39;s most famously guarded endings.</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Essential Elements</strong>Director: Billy WilderStars: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles LaughtonBased on: Agatha Christie&#39;s short story and 1953 stage playRelease: December 17, 1957Running Time: 116 minutesAwards: 6 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture; 100% on Rotten Tomatoes; AFI&#39;s #6 courtroom drama</p><p><br></p><p><strong>Trivia</strong></p><ul><li>Dietrich agreed to play Christine only if Wilder directed — and by his account, she brought him the project herself.</li><li>She also plays the mysterious scarred Cockney letter-seller, unrecognizable under makeup — a secret that may have cost her an Oscar nomination.</li><li>William Holden was first choice for Leonard Vole; Power eventually took the role alongside Solomon and Sheba for $300,000 apiece, but died of a heart attack before making the second film.</li><li>Charles Laughton faked a heart attack in his own pool to test whether he could convincingly play one on screen.</li><li>United Artists posted guards at the soundstage doors and had cast sign pledges not to reveal the ending; Hitchcock borrowed the same no-late-admission trick for Psycho three years later.</li><li>Agatha Christie reportedly called this her favorite adaptation of her own work.</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Thank you for watching Fade to Chat: Golden Age Cinema!<br>Contact us: <a href="mailto:ThePodTalkNetwork@gmail.com">ThePodTalkNetwork@gmail.com</a>Visit the network: ThePodTalk.NetSpread the word to other Golden Age cinema lovers!</p>